A Haunting Look at the Decay of Africa's Tallest High-Rise

When the Ponte City apartment complex was finished in 1975, the apparent success of its cylindrical design ensured that Africa's tallest residential skyscraper was one of the most desirable places to live in Johannesburg. The hollow center that allowed light to enter the inward-facing units—some of which were three stories tall and came Jacuzzi-equipped—was once the planned site of an indoor ski slope, that urban marker of bull-market excess. Today, after nearly four decades of decline, the bottom of Ponte City's lightwell is covered by a three-story heap of garbage. The long suburban exodus of Johannesburg's moneyed elite has turned the tower into a skyline-piercing reminder that cosmopolitan luxury doesn't exist inside a vacuum.

But despite all the gloom, and the awful grandeur of that trash heap—the focus of a short, visually stunning documentary on Ponte City by Philip Bloom (below)—things are surprisingly positive. Renovations began just before the global financial crisis of 2007 and then were quickly abandoned, and though the tower is home to a lot of poverty, its conditions have been brought up to a kind of liminal state that some might consider more desirable than reigning bourgeoisie excess—politics dependent, of course. And considering that there once existed plans to turn the place into a huge vertical prison, like the setting for another dystopian South African death-fest from director Neill Blomkamp, Ponte City has certainly been worse off. Go, watch:

Most Viewed

Bhumi Pednekar made her Bollywood debut opposite Ayushmann Khurrana in Dum Laga Ke Haisha doesn’t actually look even tiny bit close to her character from the movie. The reason why we didn’t see Bhumi come in front of media to interact, as her character and role in the film was kept a secret from audiences. …

For her upcoming film Ek Paheli Leela, Sunny Leone has recreated Zeenat Aman’s iconic look from Satyam Shivam Sundaram where she’s shown to be wearing a white sari. Elaborating on the look, director Bobby Khan says, “The way SSS captured Zeenatji’s beauty was beautiful. When I bounced the idea off Sunny, she immediately approved. Our film has glamour but we’ve kept Indian sentiments in mind, which is why she wore a spaghetti top with her sari.” Directed by Bobby Khan starring Sunny Leone, …

All the eyes are on Ranbir Kapoor and his ex beau Deepika Padukone who have been shooting together for their upcoming film Tamasha. Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone were shooting for a romantic scene, where Ranbir had to go down on knees and propose Deepika Padukone. You can see in the pictures, Ranbir Kapoor goes down on Knees, while Deepika Padukone gets surprised on it. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone and is directed by Imtiaz Ali. …

The controversial Pooja Misrra, who became an overnight sensation after participating in Bigg Boss Season 5, has sued a renowned TV channel for allegedly stealing her concept of a cookery show, which is now being hosted by Farah Khan (Farah Ki Daawat). In a legal notice sent to the TV channel, which airs the show, Pooja's legal representatives have said, ''All boundaries of professionalism and decency were crossed when Colors went ahead and plagiarized 'Pooja Misrra Productions 'maiden cookery …

Actress Sonam Kapoor was recently discharged from hospital suffering from respiratory infection. Later she soon resumed back to work at Gujarat for shooting of her upcoming movie Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. Sonam Kapoor’s mother Sunita Kapoor had visited Gujarat on Saturday and took her by air-ambulance. Watch Video Here Sonam Kapoor has been shooting with actor Salman Khan for Sooraj Barjatya’s Prem Ratan Dhan Payo at Gondal in Gujarat from last 10 days. …

Devang Dholakia’s comic caper Kuch Kuch Locha Hai is all set for release on the 8th of May 2015. Produced by Mukesh Purohit of Magic Pictures and K.K Agarwal, the film is being co-produced by Maximus Multimedia Pvt Ltd and Riyaz Mohammed. The project is also being backed by Japan based Asha Jhaveri and Blueberry Productions who have joined the film as associate producers. Kuch Kuch Locha Hai has consistently made news for its unusual pairing of the sizzling hot Sunny Leone and the affable …